When I was growing up, all my family, aunts, uncles, cousins on my dads side were in. We attended the same congregation and I think some other families envied us because we were so close. I often thought how wonderful, how fortunate that we were all together. Now, I have been out for almost 30 years and only a few of my cousins have also walked away. It breaks my heart that most are still in, while our parents, who were supposed to not grow old, have all grown into their 80's and died. I think it sometimes takes a life changing incident, as in my case,or just a gradual awakening, as in the case of my cousin. All I know is that now I am so fortunate and happy to be out!
SafeAtHome
JoinedPosts by SafeAtHome
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25
Why were we so fortunate to escape clutches of the WT?
by jam inwhen i came out i knew of very few ex-jw's.
for years i. question my decision.
was i being selfish, couldn't cut the.
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Why were we so fortunate to escape clutches of the WT?
by jam inwhen i came out i knew of very few ex-jw's.
for years i. question my decision.
was i being selfish, couldn't cut the.
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YOU'VE GOT TO LAUGH!!
by The Searcher in"all of our teachings are based on the bible, not on the writings of some religious leader in the united states.
"1 thessalonians 2:13. http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/not-a-sect/.
all of the teachings (i counted 8) which have been reversed in the july 15th watchtower were based on the bible???????????.
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SafeAtHome
Because they say so, that's how the r&f know its true. No need to question, they have done the thinking for them.
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Great News!
by haboob48 inwell i do not post here very much and usually what i have to say........well...isn't that important!
but......i am the proud grandmother of twin girls as of august 10!
i am so proud of my daughter, who is 25, just gave birth to twin girls.........no painkillers........nothing!
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SafeAtHome
Congrats! I too know the happiness of not raising my daughter in the cult. She was free to enjoy a normal, active childhood. What joys you have to look forward to with your new little ones. I left in 84/85, around the same time as you, so I know what it is like to still need the support of sites like this, even if it's just reading what others have gone through to be free or to keep up with the latest craziness so we can understand our relatives who are still in. Take care, and don't spoil them too much!
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Private meetings banned??
by franticfran ini have just spoken to a brother who is part of a group of single brothers and sisters who meet together once a week to discuss bible topics and he has been told by and elder that the organisation "banned" these private meetings years ago.
i told him i remember that article but he is adamant that the society would never do that (!
) now i am fairly sure i remember that article whether it was in a km or one of the mags i cant recall but i am sure i remember them saying we needed nothing more than the food that the slave class provided (another means to control us),does anyone have the details of that article because i have said i will find it and let him have it.
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SafeAtHome
Can we see this, only because we have stepped away from this organization? You know, if you would present this info to a Witness in the guise of "some religions" control their people like this, or "some cults or high control groups" have this in their rules, they would probably shake their heads. In fact, isn't that the very thing they encourage new ones to do, to examine their church and compare it to the WT? Yet, even if they read a KM with instructions to them to NOT explore anything other than JW literature, they can't see it as a red flag. How ludicrous that if you are to explore a religion or belief system that you would only use their literature or writings to do so. Otherwise intelligent people who are Witnesses find nothing wrong with this and would not dream of reading anything other than JW literature. I really don't get it, and I am speaking from personal experience about so many of my family members still in. I suppose its years of repetitive brain washing. Makes me sad.
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How to present Kingdom News No. 38....
by Calebs Airplane inkingdom ministry october 2013 page 4:.
sample presentations.
kingdom news no.38 .
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SafeAtHome
This is such a joke, such an ineffectual way to reach people if the message is so urgent and life saving. I found an invite to the Memorial in my door, two months after the fact, because I never use my front door. I have a sign clearly stating "Back Door Please". Fed Ex, UPS, everyone else seems to get the message and walks the few extra steps to the back. I found it when I was changing the seasonal decoration on my front door!
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Most Awkward, Embarrassing, Comical things you Experienced as a Witness ?
by flipper inmany of us i'm sure experienced embarrassing or comical moments as a witness.
some things we'd rather just forget , i'm sure, but some things helped us think on our feet, quickly in helping others .
here are a few of mine.
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SafeAtHome
Yeah Aunt Fancy, glad you enjoyed that. Mom passed 4 years ago at age 88 and she still told that story. I dont think I could have kept my cool, but after all, when we went to peoples doors, we were uninvited and really would have no right to complain (that's how we can look at it now). If I was the homeowner whose dog was assaulted by the Danish fellow, I would have punched his lights out. The dog was on its own property doing what he was no doubt trained to do, protect the family. Can't believe he made a return visit!
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Most Awkward, Embarrassing, Comical things you Experienced as a Witness ?
by flipper inmany of us i'm sure experienced embarrassing or comical moments as a witness.
some things we'd rather just forget , i'm sure, but some things helped us think on our feet, quickly in helping others .
here are a few of mine.
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SafeAtHome
I love these posts that are revived so that those of us who are newbies can contribute. This happened to my mom, back in the 60's. It was winter here in Ohio and she was wearing a pair of boots that were low, maybe 4 inches above the ankle. When the person opened the door a small dog ran out and proceeded to give my mom a good sniffing. As she went in to her presentation, she felt a warm trickle into her boot. She went on talking finishing her presentation. She got back to the car with a weird look on her face and said, "That damn dog peed in my boot!" Now, you had to know my mom, she would no more swear than June Cleaver. She told that story till the day she died and we always got a good laugh. She was so proud she kept her cool. Miss you Mom.
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Nightmares when active JW
by MissConfused ini remember when i was active, i would constantly get nightmares regarding armageddon.. used to wake up so many times at night watch my window, pray hard and try to go to sleep.
now i wonder that this organization was really succcessful in making people scared to death about 'current system of things', but why would anyone do that?
why would anyone want to bring division in families, make hate speeches, scare people to death, etc?
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SafeAtHome
Me too, SPLASH, I was afraid of thunderstorms, probably thanks to that horrible pinkish orange Paradise Lost book. Great reading and pictures for kids.
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For the Lurkers: You are not alone.
by okage inin the seats of kingdom halls, you wait patiently for the meetings to end so you can escape the lie you've forced yourself to live.
at the conventions you smile at people you grew up with knowing that if they knew how you truly felt, they would leave you with nothing but memories.. you have questions.
you may even have answers.
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SafeAtHome
Beautifully written okage, and great that you posted all the useful sites for questions and info. I walked away many years ago, a slow fade, and until recently most all my family included me in family things. I have a neice and several cousins that I have a very strong inkling that they are feeling exactly as you described, but are fearful that after a life long association with this religion, they cannot leave for fear of losing relationships with parents and siblings. Hopefully what you have written will help someone on the path to freedom. You know, of all the stories we read about here, even tho so many are experiencing hardships and shunning because of their decision to leave, how many have stated they made a wrong choice and are going back? A handful, maybe?